Cold Springs CUA Dispersed Camping

About this place

The camping here is above 9,000 feet, shaded by aspen. Nothing is marked out.

There is a vault restroom and an information kiosk. The roads and camp spurs are graveled, so you will not be driving through mud to find a spot.

Cold Springs reservoir sits at the west end of the camping, on FR031, and the fishing there can be very good. If it is not, there is Twin Ponds, Farnsworth and Salina Reservoir.

The marked routes take ATVs up to 50 inches wide. There is walking, and wildlife if you sit still.

Take everything home that you brought. You can stay 16 days.

The facts

Cost

Free to camp

Roads around it

Graveled roads and camp spurs

Stay limit

16 days

Drinking water

No, bring your own

Toilet

Yes, a vault restroom

Type

Open area. Nothing is marked out

Managed by

Fishlake National Forest

The roads around this place are not maintained for a regular car. That comes from the US Forest Service, who grade every road by the kind of vehicle it is looked after for. Those records cover the roads nearby. They do not cover the last stretch in to the campsite, and nobody has checked that part. Treat this as a warning. We are not promising what you will find when you get there. If you have driven it, tell us what it was like and we will say so here.

Getting there

It is about 22 miles southeast of Salina. From Salina, take Interstate 70 east for about 6.5 miles and leave at Exit 63, Gooseberry Road. Turn right onto Gooseberry Road. It is County Road 640, a paved two-lane road. Follow it south for about 13.5 miles. The camping area is on your right, down FR031.

Coordinates 38.782656, -111.643800

Open in Google Maps Agency page

What is near here

There is another spot of ours within reach, and some better-known places further out.

• Fish Lake 22 miles by road · lake Directions
• Cathedral Mountain 36 miles by road · mountain Directions
• Big Rocks Special Recreation Management Area 43 miles by road · public land · free camping here too Directions
• Hilgard Mountain 52 miles by road · mountain Directions
• Capitol Reef National Park 75 miles by road · national park Directions

Every distance on this page is the driving distance. A short distance can still take a long time. The road may be closed for the season, covered in snow, or washed out. Many of these roads are dirt. Plan your route before you leave home. Out here there is often no phone signal to look it up on the way.

Nearest town and supplies

• Salina, UT nearest settlement · at least 31 miles by road · about 2,600 people Directions

Salina is big enough that you’d normally expect fuel and somewhere to buy food. Nobody from here has been to check, so don’t count on it if you’re running low.

Why “at least”: this route is hard to measure. We worked the drive out twice, with two separate mapping tools, and they gave different answers. That usually means there is no road close to the campsite, so the drive doubles back a long way. The figure above is the longer of the two. The real drive could be further still, so check the route before you set off.

Why the drive to town is usually twice what the map says — what we found measuring every campsite in this guide.

When it’s time to move on

You can camp here for 16 days. After that you have to move on. This is Forest Service land, and each forest sets its own rule for how far you have to go, so check before you travel.

The nearest other free campsite in this guide is Big Rocks Special Recreation Management Area, Utah — 29 miles in a straight line, but at least a 43 mile drive. Ten more sit closer than 25 miles, if the rule here allows them.

Why “at least”: there is no road right at this campsite, so the drive is hard to measure and the real one could be further. Check the route before you set off.

This guide covers five states and does not list every free campsite, so there may be something closer that we do not hold. Check this site’s own rule before you rely on it.